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Zeus
"I am the King of Olympus and it is my way, that is the way of the Gods" - Zeus Greek Mythology In Greek Mythology, Zeus (Ζεύς) was the king of Olympus, the ruler of Mount Olympus, and the god of the sky and thunder and Lightning. His symbols were the Thunderbolt, Eagle, Bull, Serpent, and Oak Tree. Zeus was the child of the Titans Cronos and Rhea, and the youngest but strongest of all his siblings. It was Zeus who led his brothers and sisters into battle against the Titans, claiming the throne of his father and banishing the Titans to Tartarus. He then married his sister Hera, the goddess of women and marriage. Zeus was well known for his erotic escapades with beautiful mortal women, resulting in many godly and heroic offspring, including Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, Helen, Minos, and Kratos. With Hera, Zeus fathered Ares, Hebe and Eris. Ancient Greek lore also speaks of Zeus' incestuous and homosexual escapades, some of such which include his erotic affairs with the young mortal Ganymede, and Zeus having intimate relations with his own brothers, Poseidon and the god of the underworld Hades. His Roman equivalent is Jupiter. In the God of War series Birth and Early Days It was foretold that Cronos would someday be overthrown by his children. To prevent this prophecy from becoming true, the mighty Titan swallowed his children, imprisoning them within his belly. Standing on the Summit of Sacrifice, Rhea, distressed by the loss of her children, saved her last child, Zeus, by tricking Cronos into swallowing a stone wrapped in cloth. She summoned an eagle to take Zeus to an island far away from the watchful eyes of Cronos. It was on this island that Gaia, mother of Earth, would raise him and nurture his desire to free his brothers and sisters, overthrowing Cronos and becoming king of the Gods. Great War After freeing his brothers and sisters, Zeus declared war on the Titans, consumed with feelings of revenge. Betraying Gaia, the very Titan who had raised him, he waged war on all the Titans for the sins of only one. The new rulers of the world, the Gods, calling themselves Olympians, fought against their predecessors with great ferocity. The battle between the Olympians and the Titans formed the landscape of the mortal world, shaking the earth with massive earthquakes and crumbling mountains. During the war, Zeus created the all powerful Blade of Olympus, which was used to banish the Titans to the foulest pits of Tartarus. Cronos would later be forced to endure great suffering by having Pandora's Temple chained to his back and wander the Desert of Lost Souls for eternity. The end of the Great War resulted in Zeus and his brothers splitting the world apart; Zeus became the king of the Gods and would rule over the skies, Poseidon would rule the seas, and Hades would rule the Underworld. Banished, the Titans endured unimaginable suffering in their eternal prisons, binded by the chains Zeus created using the Gauntlet of Zeus. However, one fear always plagued Zeus: the fear that the cycle will repeat itself. The cycle of a son overthrowing his father. Just like Cronos killed Uranus and later Zeus himself defeated Cronos, Zeus expected that one of his own sons will try to kill him and take the throne of Olympus for himself. Ares and Kratos See also: God of War One day, Ares had begun a siege on the city of Athens to gain favor from Zeus over his half-sister Athena. Zeus had forbidden the Gods from waging war on each other, so he allowed Athena to receive help from Kratos, Ares’ former servant and the champion who pledged himself to the Gods for ten years. Kratos met Zeus himself within the damaged city of Athens, where he was given Zeus' Fury, the ability to wield and throw Zeus’ thunderbolts. It is also speculated that the Grave Digger who saved Kratos' life is Zeus in disguise as a mortal. When Ares took Pandora's Box, he yelled to the skies, proclaiming that he will not hesitate to use it against Olympus, before being killed by Kratos. Zeus and the Gods guided Kratos to defeat Ares, as he was the one who most likely would rebel against his own father. With Ares dead, the Olympians made Kratos the new God of War. It is later revealed that Zeus and the other Gods fell prey to the evils locked away in Pandora's Box after Kratos used it to defeat Ares, and that is why he becomes so obsessed with killing Kratos. Zeus' Betrayal :See also: God of War: Betrayal :See also: God of War II As the new God of War, Kratos was far more ruthless than Ares ever was. He waged a vicious campaign in once again glorifying Sparta throughout Greece, capturing many cities. Zeus was uneasy about the new appointed god, feeling unsafe upon his throne in Olympus. Once, when Kratos was assaulting a city in his mortal avatar form, he encountered an elaborate plot to destroy his reputation, that included assassination of Hera' favorite beast, Argos, by an unknown assassin, with blame falling entirely on Kratos. The situation was made even worse when Hades' minions attacked Kratos, and the messenger of Olympus, Ceryx, who was sent to make sure Kratos will not uncover the culprit behind the events, was slain by infuriated God of War. Zeus advised Athena to warn Kratos that with every city destroyed in the Spartan army's conquest, the wrath of Gods would grow ever stronger. Kratos failed to comply with Athena’s warning and descended from Olympus down to the island of Rhodes, where his men lay siege. As an enormous god, Kratos tore Rhodes apart. However, Kratos did not realize that Zeus, in the form of an eagle, had followed him. Flying over the massive Kratos, Zeus drained the godly power from him, shrinking the god of war to human size. Zeus then brought life to the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of Helios which overlooked the city. Misleading Kratos into believing he was at his side, Zeus gave him the Blade of Olympus to use against the Colossus. Draining all of his godly power into the blade, Kratos defeated and destroyed the Colossus, weakening himself in the process. It was at this time that Zeus revealed himself to Kratos. He asked Kratos to become his personal servant, but the proud God of War refused, disgusted. Claiming that the cycle would end here, the king of the Gods took the Blade of Olympus and impaled Kratos, leaving him to die, and than experience eternal torment in Underworld. Within seconds Zeus took the Blade of Olympus and destroyed the entire Spartan army and everything else in Rhodes. While Kratos was thought to be dead, Zeus also attacked and destroyed Sparta itself, for many Spartans had worshiped Kratos far more than the rest of Olympus, but mostly as an act of revenge for Kratos' unwillingness to succumb to him. Having done these deeds and believing the problem with Kratos to finally be resolved, Zeus left for his throne on Mount Olympus. Kratos' Revenge "Come down here and face me now Zeus!!"-Kratos After Kratos, with the help from Gaia and the Titans, returned back to life and defeated the Sisters of Fate, ending their rule over time and fates, he returned to the moment when Zeus betrayed and killed him. Zeus claimed he had underestimated Kratos and presumed that the Sisters of Fate had aided him. Kratos, picking up the Blade of Olympus, claimed the Sisters were dead. Zeus then remarked that the Sisters deemed him to be victorious from the beginning, and the two warriors ran quickly towards one another, taking to the skies as they attacked. They ended up on the Summit of Sacrifice, where an epic battle would begin. Kratos fought Zeus furiously, until Zeus eventually overpowered him, so Kratos feigned surrender. Kratos asked Zeus to end his life and release him from his torment. Zeus, believing this to be true, raised the Blade of Olympus and said to Kratos that his torment was just beginning. The great God was tricked, and Kratos, using the power of Golden Fleece, repelled the Zeus' blow and took the Blade from him, stabbing him with it numerous times until Athena intervened. Zeus escaped his death at the hands of Kratos, when Athena ran between the two warriors in the very moment Kratos was to deliver the final blow. Athena was wounded and died instead of her father, though Kratos was far more affected by Athena's death then Zeus himself. Before she died, however, Athena told Kratos that he was compelled to destroy Zeus just as Zeus did to Cronos, for Kratos was his son. This was the cycle Zeus had been talking about before he killed Kratos earlier. Athena then stated that no son should ever destroy his own father and that Zeus must live so that Olympus will prevail. God after God would deny Kratos for they would protect Zeus from him. Kratos, led by Gaia, had another opinion. Fleeing to Olympus, Zeus called forth a meeting of the Gods. Fearing Kratos, Zeus spoke to Hades, Poseidon, Helios, and Hermes, claiming that they must put aside their petty grievances and unite. As he exclaimed he would wipe out the plague created by one mere mortal, Olympus began to shake. Looking to the edge of the mountain, the Gods trembled as they gazed upon the Titans, who were thought to have been in Tartarus, being led by Kratos. The Second Great War "My brothers, we were forged in victory. A victory that ended the great war and brought the reign of Mt. Olympus. Born from the depths of the underworld. Rooted in the river of souls. Our mountain emerged out of the Chaos. As it grew, so to did the might of the Olympians. We created a world of peace, a world of prosperity, a world that thrives in the shadow and safety of my mountain.A mountain that has come to be the absolute measure of strength and power. Now, on this day, the power is to be tested. A mortal Kratos, seeks to destroy all that I have wrought. Brothers. Put aside the grievances that have splintered us for so long. We will unite. We will stand together. And I will wipe out this plague! Olympus... will PREVAIL!!!" -Zeus Zeus dispatches the gods to deal with the Titans ask they start to descend. His followers succeed in dislodging their foes off Mt Olympus, mostly because Poseidon rode in his chariot. However, Kratos was able to kill Poseidon, he joined Gaia to reach Zeus. When they reach the Shrine of Olympus though Zeus angrily declares that Kratos will die. Then Zeus flies into the air and forms the clouds around him. Returning to a statue of him, Zeus creates a huge lightning bolt and fires it Kratos and Gaia. The bolt was so powerful that Gaia's hand was blown off, only connected by fine threads. Kratos once again fell into the Underworld, but returned to Olympus, killing Hades, Helios and Hermes along the way. He then sought out Pandora, the creation of Hephaestus, who was the key to pacifying the Flame of Olympus guarding Pandora's Box. As revealed by Hephaestus, when Kratos killed Ares, fear gripped Zeus. Because his son told him that placing the box on top of Cronus was a good idea and Kratos retrieved it, Zeus savaging beated the truth out of Hephaestus. Zeus sent Hephaestus and Cronus down into the Underworld as punishment, while locking Pandora in the Labyrinth, built by the architect Daedalus, haivng promising the mortal to return his son to him in exchange for his services. When Kratos raised the Labyrinth to bring Pandora to the flame, the latter was willing to commit to her purpose, but Kratos refused to let him. Unfortunately, Pandora ran right into Zeus, who stood before the flame. Kratos demanded that Zeus release her; The King of the Gods retorted that he shouldn't confuse Pandora, whom he considers nothing more than an object, to his own daughter Calliope. He shows the destruction of Olympus as proof of Kratos' need for atonement for the slaughter of his family. Zeus then realized that taking pity on Kratos was his greatest mistake, as would the latter for showing pity on Pandora. Father and son then fought, causing Olympus to crumble before them. The latter then rushed to prevent Pandora from reaching the flame. Zeus encouraged him not to fail her like he did his family. In rage, Kratos reluctantly let her go and then opened the box, only to find it empty. Zeus laughed at Kratos, pointing out that after all he had sacrificed, all what he accomplished was failure. They then face again at the Shrine of Olympus, before Gaia interrupts their fight, intending on killing them both. Instead, the two leaped into a chest wound on the Titan, where they continued they fight at Gaia's heart. Kratos was eventually able to throw Zeus against the heart, before stabbing both with the Blade of Olympus, killing Zeus and causing Gaia to crumble into dust. when Kratos came to, he removed the blade from Zeus' body, only for a dark spectre of the King of the Gods to rise from it. Zeus grabbed Kratos and inflicted the power of fear on his very soul. However, with the help of Pandora's spirit, Kratos was able to forgive himself for his sins, before finding that the power of Hope, which he had sought to find in the box, was inside him all along. Returning to the real world, Kratos freed himself form Zeus' grip, before slashing him, forcing his ghost to return to his body. Kratos then discarded his weapon and then punched Zeus to death. Zeus finally died, releasing lightning into the sky. Kratos soon learned from Athena's ghost then when he first opened Pandora's box, he released the evils that Zeus contained from the Titanomarchy. The evils corrupted and changed the gods. Zeus himself was affected by the evils, gripping by fear itself, which drove him to kill Kratos. Kratos then restored order to the world by stabbing himself with the Blade of Olympus, releasing hope to mankind. See also: God of War III thumb|300px|right|Kratos vs Zeus Powers and Abilities Zeus' powers and abilities are both awe inspiring and terrifying. He is the most powerful god on Olympus and possibly the most powerful being in existence. He possesses the abilities of Regeneration, Projection (the ultimate power a god can posses it allows them to do anything they want and to have any kind of power even to control the world itself), Flight, Summoning, Conjuring The Elements, Telekinesis, Power Granting, Teleportation, Immortality and Super Strength. He is one of the strongest beings in existence. Zeus can Shapeshift, growing to massive sizes and turn into an eagle. He possesses control over the weather, thunder and Lightning. But like all gods he is vulnerable to the Blade of Olympus, his own powerful weapon. He is capable of moving at the speed of light and creating powerful barriers to shield himself. When he unleashed his full power, Kratos was unable to overpower him even though he possessed the Blade of Olympus and had somewhat weakened him. In God of War III, After Kratos had stabbed Zeus through Gaia's heart, Zeus' spirit fought Kratos and over powered him. It brought him to the brink of death and he was only defeated because Kratos unleashed the power of Hope. Trivia *In one of the bonus cut-scenes from the game, Kratos reunites with his mother, discovering that Zeus is his father, who he would later take vengeance upon for abandoning him so many years before. However, this is not canon. *In mortal appearance, Zeus is still exceptionally tall, muscular and youthful looking for his age, due to being a god. He had white hair even whilst a newborn child, continuing through his early adulthood. His eyes have no pupils, being the same when he was in his early adulthood.But, when he was a baby,his eyes had dark blue pupils. *It should be noted that even though Zeus is the younger brother of Poseidon and Hades, he seems much older than the two. Related Pages *Gods *Zeus' Fury *Zeus' Lightning Bolts *Statue of Zeus Gallery File:Zeus_11.png File:Zeus_22.png File:Zeus_23.png File:Zeus_18.png File:Zeus_21.png File:Zeus_19.png File:Zeus_2.png File:Zeus_3.png File:Zeus_1.png File:Zeus_78.png File:Zeus_88.png File:Zeus_1111.png File:Zeus_12.png File:Zeus_13.png File:Zeus_14.png File:Zeus_15.png File:Zeus_16.png File:Zeus_17.png File:Zeus_6.png File:Untitled_33.png File:Zeus1.jpg File:Youngzeus.jpg File:Zeus.JPG File:Zeusbaby.jpg File:Zeus_pandora.png File:Zeus_111.png File:Zeus_112.png File:Zeus_444.png File:Zeus_661.png File:Zeus_662.png File:Zeus_663.png File:Zeus_134.png File:Zeus_zombie_3.png File:Zeus_death_2.png File:Zeus_death_3.png File:Zeus_zombie.png File:Zeus_zombie_1.png File:Zeus_zombie_2.png File:Zeus_zombie_4.png Category:Characters Category:God of War 1 Characters Category:God of War 2 Characters Category:Immortals Category:Enemies Category:Bosses Category:God of War 2 Bosses Category:God of War III Category:God of War III Bosses Category:Gods Category:Final Bosses Category:God of War 3 Characters Category:Deceased characters